LED

T
he spectacular performance and beauty of Crenshaw’s standard LED lamping assemblies meet the highest standards in decorative lighting. Crenshaw has carefully engineered LED systems using the best leading edge technologies on the market to achieve our high quality standards for reliability, even illumination, and lumen output better than or equal to traditional 4-pin compact fluorescent.

Standard LED Solutions

Crenshaw offers LED board and driver solutions for much of our standard catalog line, including 2-3 ft high pendants, half-hex sconces, 18-24″ ceiling bowls and drums, and wet location lanterns. Listings are pending which will provide a high output LED option for pendant bowls and drums, as well as a 5-cylinder cluster pendant.

Sconces, Ceiling Fixtures, and Exterior Lanterns

Crenshaw has developed LED board and driver systems for a variety of standard format sconces, ceiling fixtures, and exterior lanterns. Systems for a high-output ceiling fixture, performance drum and bowl pendant, exterior ADA sconce, and more are in development for 2015.

Low-profile LED ring chandelier, 4″ high x 1.25″ profile x 60″ overall diameter, 60W, 5,700 lum, 3000K.Exterior LED bracket lantern sconce, with Xicato XSM1300 downlight module and integrated driver. This COB LED system worked so well, we made it a standard for bracket mounted, post mounted, and stem suspended lanterns.

Custom LED Solutions

Crenshaw has engineered custom LED solutions for many projects. The largest, most complex to date is a 32 ft diameter, two-tier ring chandelier fitted with (32) downlights, (16) uplights, and (22) accent lights, all chip-on-board (COB) LED, with 0-10V and ELV dimming controls across 7 circuits. The slimmest profile is an adjustable 3″ half-round linear stack light which achieved 1,200 lumens per linear foot in board and driver LED. The highest output per square foot is a 30″ diameter reflector bowl pendant with 40,000 lumens in aimable uplights all in 97 CRI, 3000K chip-on-board LED. View this project in our Portfolio.

As the technology improves, a greater and greater variety of options will be available, and we look forward to the challenge and the journey of discovery. Crenshaw has committed to staying abreast of lamping technology as it emerges, and continues to work to solve the unique demands brought to us by specifiers and clients.

Fixtures are CSA listed in our in-house testing laboratory (read more) and built in compliance with UL1598 and NEC codes. We go beyond minimum UL/CSA requirements to certify that all assemblies comply with component manufacturer requirements for maximum warranty coverage. Integrated LED assemblies are backed by Crenshaw’s five (5) year electrical warranty unless otherwise specified (read more).

The Upsides

clean, beautiful light quality

high energy efficiency (80-130 lumens per watt typical) equates to energy cost savings over time

long lamp life equates to lower maintenance costs over time (36,000-50,000 hr rated life is typical, however actual lifetime may be significantly longer under optimal conditions; further, rated life is based on L70 or gradual fade to 70% of initial output, and actual useful life may be significantly longer if configured as a primarily dimmed system)

longer driver life than compact fluorescent or HID ballasts when thermal management is well-engineered (Crenshaw’s standard LED systems are all built to meet maximum manufacturer warranty requirements for operating temperatures)

instant on to full brightness

silent dimming

a wide range of color temperatures and color rendering options available for many board styles, including some which approximate or even exceed halogen for color rendering performance

no mercury vapor-related toxicity issues

slow gradual failure, rather than the abrupt failure of incandescent

sophisticated controls available

appropriate for many low-profile fixture styles

The Downsides

high up-front costs

maintenance and lamp replacement for most systems requires a qualified electrician (replacing boards and drivers is often compared to replacing compact fluorescent or metal halide ballasts)

UL has no general coverage for LED board and driver systems, adding listing costs and lead times to custom LED systems

standard 0-10V dimming requires two additional wires in addition to the standard two plus ground wires found throughout traditional electrical wiring plans

most LED sources do not begin to approach the color-rendering quality of incandescent and halogen. (Read more)

because typically drivers will fail before LED boards, a shift in thinking is required from traditional lamping for diagnosing system failures

as with fluorescent systems, more intensive troubleshooting is required for identifying failure points than with incandescent systems, including replacing drivers, replacing boards, and evaluating thermal management systems such as active cooling fans

LED board and driver technology solutions for many traditional style light fixtures have yet to be developed by the LED manufacturing industry

very high or low heat can cause poor performance or failure in many LED’s

while mercury is not present in LED components, heavy metals are; toxicity issues are neither well-researched nor documented

technology has not been fully evaluated long term in the field in the context of decorative lighting